Okay so your out on the road and find a nice quite parking lot with other cars like at a hospital, hotel or business complex that has 24 hour shift workers. You decide to call it a night but security or the police comes knocking in the middle of the night while you are sleeping.

Assuming you are NOT calling the hogs, do you answer and risk getting exposed or do you just play it cool and let them think your staying/working in the establishment?

Don't think that you are the one smart individual who has beat the system and that security has no clue about what is going on.They ran your plates, they checked security footage back to when you arrived. They are not rubes. I once pulled into a public parking lot in the middle of a typhoon and 500 year flood in the making. By 6:00 a.m. they new who I was, where I lived and where I had been the previous 24 hours. Technology can be both your friend and your enemy. Comply and be respectful. You be busted.

Had to deal with this a couple of decades ago in Canada. We had a long day of driving and ferry riding, so when we got off the ferry in Nanaimo, BC late at night we decided to pull into a shopping center parking lot in our motorhome. About 15 minutes later an RCMP cruiser stops and the officer knocks on the door. After the usual pleasantries he asks why we stopped there and I told him we were just too tired to drive further, and it was too late to find a campground. So, he said to follow him and he got into his car. We followed him for about 3 blocks when he turned into the RCMP station. He came back to us and said "You'll be safer in this parking lot. Have a great night!" We parked off to the side out of the way and slept quite soundly!

aeohio wrote:If its the police or security I would say answer the door. There may be a very good reason as to why they are knocking. Besides as state you do not want to get towed.
I still feel its always the right thing to do to ask first esp if the buisness or whatever establishment you choose to park in is open.

It's not just the right thing, it's the only lawful thing.

Private parking lots are there for specific uses decided on by the owner. Anyone that parks overnight in one without the owner's express permission is Trespassing, and the local Police WILL check you out.
And in most cases CHUCK you out.

I can't think of a faster way to get busted.

" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies toJ.R.R. Tolkien

While traveling to Canada my family and I could not find a camping spot for the night in Sand Point Idaho so went to chamber of Commerce parking lot and all went to sleep. 2A.M. I wake to flashing blue lites. I quietly put my pants on and wait for the knock on the door. After a few minutes I look out the window to see a guy being arrested for DUI five feet away from our door. I was never asked to leave or even talked to. If I am somewhere I am not suppose to be or I am not wanted I am going to do the right thing and talk with them. It is common sense I would think.